Posted
by
Soulskillon Wednesday July 02, 2014 @02:52PM
from the system-and-method-to-break-the-internet dept.

Albanach writes: In 2007, the BBC's economics editor, Robert Peston, penned an article on the massive losses at Merrill Lynch and the resulting resignation of their CEO Stan O'Neal. Today, the BBC has been notified that the 2007 article will no longer appear in some Google searches made within the European Union, apparently as a result of someone exercising their new-found "right to be forgotten." O'Neal was the only individual named in the 2007 article. While O'Neal has left Merrill Lynch, he has not left the world of business, and now holds a directorship at Alcoa, the world's third largest aluminum producer with $23 billion in revenues in 2013.

News outlet reports on business world goings on, a CEO leaving a company that is having financial woes.Google indexes article.Years later, person mentioned in article files request to delist new article.Google delists, advises news outlet of article delisting.News outlet writes new article about delisting of old article, links to old article.Google indexes new article.

In the words of Robin Williams: "Mr. President. In the dictionary under Redundant, it says 'see: Redundant'."

Supposedly, a way is discovered to make people forget certain things. Not far-fetched — we can already plant false memories [mit.edu]...

I am asking the proponents of this wonderful "right to be forgotten" legislation, whether they would approve of a law, that would allow people to demand, their ex-partners be forced to undergo a procedure to make them forget of the good time the have once shared, for example.